Coating method



7 March 17, 1942. N. P. HARSHBERGER comma METHOD Original Filed April- 29, 1939 2-Sheets-Sheet 1 40M ORNEY INVENTOR fiallskffgier M rc 17, 194 l N. P. HARSHBERGER 2,276,485

COATING METHOD Original Filed April 29, 1939 {Sheets-Sheet 2 I II III INVENTOR. flan/l jv'armau Z hfg zr ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 17, 1942;

COATING METHOD Norman P. Harshberger, Old Greenwich, Conn,

assignor to Carbide and Carbon OhemicalsCorporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application April 29,1939, Serial No. 270,729. Divided and this application May 27, 1941, Serial No. 395,373

This invention relates to methods for producing coating compositions comprising particulate materials and a wetting agent, and more particularly for producing hydrated coating compositions of argillaceous cementitious materials. The invention also relates to methods for producing individually coated particles; for instance, roofing granules. More specifically, the, invention relates to a method for making cement coated roofing and for instance, of the type' disclosed in my Patent No. 1,913,667, granted June 13, 1933, wherein there is disclosed a felted fibrous base saturated and coated'with a bitumen such as asphalt,'=-and surfaced witha layer of granular particles, to which has been applied over the granule surfaced side a continuous layer of a cement composition.

The present invention is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 270,729, filed April- 29, 1939, and is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 26,770, filed June 15, 1935, now Patent 2,156,286.

In said prior application, Serial No. 26,770, I have disclosed, among other features, complete methods for producing plastic or sludgy coatings comprising a particulate material, for instance, cement, on a moving surface, and which comprises, in part, steps for handling, feeding, and distributing the coating material. Since the present invention is particularly directed to certain novel steps of the complete operations disclosed in said prior application, the descriptive matter here presented will be substantially lim- 1c (c1, sr-csr I where thin coatings of a cementitious composition are to be formed-or applied. Moreovencertain cements have quick setting or even flash setting characteristics, and batch mixing opera tions leave very little, if any, time to utilize the wetted material. Furthermore, in handling many soluble particulate materials; for instance, powdered resins, and a solvent; for instance, mineral spirits, the latter readily evaporates, and unless used in excess may not be'present in sufiicient' amount at-the time of use. Solvents are alsocostly and require various precautions when used in large quantities. The use of a minimum amount of solvent is therefore usually desirable. Q

The present invention provides a method for overcoming the undesirable features of batch mixing for applications of the character described, which are, of course, merely illustrative. In particulan'the invention provides a method of controlled combination of the wet and dry ingredients'and application of the wetted composition in a short interval of time after the components of the mixture have been-brought toited thereto. It will be understood, however, that the present methods may be usedin conjunction with or apart from the complete method of said prior application, and the use of any and all features disclosed in said prior application in conjunction with the present invention is fully contemplated. For example, it will readily be discernible that the present method may be substituted for certain other feeding and distributing steps of the prior application for obtaining coatings on base material.

In the formation of coatings with particulate material and a liquid; for instance, a hydraulic cement and water, it is desirable to effect a controlled water-cement ratio. It is also desirable that all the cementitious materials receive similar proportions of the added water and that the water density be as uniform as possible during coating operations. This is not always possible with large batch mixing of the ingredients as the water distribution does not uniform unless there is constant agitation. It "is particularly important gether. The present invention also provides a method for coating particulate materials in particular, with a fluid coating substance. It will be understood that the invention may be used with other compositions requiring the addition of measured amounts of a liquid,

An object. of the invention is to provide a method for adding measured quantities of a.wetting agent; for instance, a fluid or a liquid, to particulate compositions. Another object is to provide a method for bringing together measured quantities of a particulate substance and a liquid, and-to formone or more layers of the composition in a short interval of time after the ingredients are combined,

A particular object of the invention 'is to provide a method for controlling the water addition to argillaceous cement compositions; for instance,

measured quantities of a particulate composition and a liquid to form a plastic or sludgy mass, and forcibly impelling the wetted mass against a receiving surface, which may also be moving, the said receiving surface being, for example, a web or blank of mineral surfaced asphalt roofing, to which the wetted composition will become bonded upon drying.

A specific object of the invention is to form a measured layer of wetting agent of a fluid or liquid nature upon a moving surface, then adds ing to said layer a layer of finely divided particles of a cementitious material to form on said moving surface a plastic layer of the combined materials, and subsequently irnpelling particles of said plastic layer upon a base material to coat the same.

These and other objects of the invention will,

in part, be understood, and, in part, be more specifically pointed out in the following description and in the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein it. The roll iii may be driven by means of a belt 26 through suitable pulleys secured to the feed roll shaft 28 and collection roll shaft 30 respectively.

The particulate material falls within the screen and is spread and sifted in a stream 'by the spreader 22 upon the surface of the collection roll 20, which mayhave a plain or grooved 'surface similar to that of the feed roll l0. In the drawings, the roll is illustrated as having a grooved surface formed by a plurality of threads of suitable pitch.

Positioned in suitable relation to the collection roll 20 is afeed mechanism 32, which is adapted to feed the wetting agent; for instance, a fluid or liquid to the surface of the collection roll 20,

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation illustrating apparatus for carrying out the invention;

Fig. 2 is a broken section view taken at 2-2 of Fig. 1; Y

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of the collection roll and impeller of Fig. 2 embodying means to heat these members; and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken on H of Fig. 2. v

' Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, which will be described for the purpose of illustration with .respect to apparatus for particular use with a hydraulic cement material, it! is a feed roll forming the bottom of a hopper i 2. The feed roll may have a smooth or grooved surface of the character described in my prior application, the particularsm'face condition being selected for the type of material which is to be fed. The roll it is suitably supported in opposite bearings of a frame id illustrated in part in Fig. 2. The top of the hopper i2 is open to receive a supp y of the particulate composition and the bottom thereof is closed by the surface of the roll to. The hopper may have an adjustable gate l5, suitably supported between the end walls of the hopper and adapted to be adjusted up and down to obtain a predetermined spacing between the surface of the roll "I and the lower edge 88 of the hopper gate. In thismanner, the quantity of particulate composition fed by the roll I may readily be controlled. The gate may be vibrated,

' if desired, by a suitable vibrator I! such. as an electrical vibrator of known variety.

The particulatecomposltion fed-bythe roll "I may be deposited directly upon a collecting member; for instance, a roll 20 but preferably falls upon a spreading device 22 when the particulate material is a powder-like substance like Portland cement (100-200 mesh). The device 22 may be a rotating screen of suitable mesh mounted be- I in a water tight housing 35, which is fed with the wetting agent from a suitable inlet; for instance,

a pipe 38, and discharges through an opening 40 at the lower side of the housing onto the roll 20.

The roll 34 is drivenby suitable'means; for instance, a belt ll through pulleys on the shaft 30 of the collection roll 20 and on that of the roll 34. The quantity of liquid that is fed to the roll 20 is determined by the speed of rotation of the fluted member 34, and by the configuration of its surface. It will beunderstood that the opening may becontinuous over the-length of the roll 20, or may constitute a series of perforations along the housing 36 adapted to uniformly wet the surface of the roll 20. A wiper 42 with suitable collection means may be provided to prevent the agent from following the surface of the .roll 28 and dripping on to the receiving surface, which may; for instance, be a moving web or belt M that is positioned immediately below the roll 26. i In order to prevent the particulate material from becoming prematurely wetted by splashing or otherwise, a suitable shield 46 is provided between the fluid feeding mechanism 32 and the spreading device 22, this being supported between the side frames id. The lower end of the shield 56 may be provided with a wiper adapted where desired, to measure the film of liquid fed by the surface of the roll 20. Y

The moving layer of wetting agent is combined with the particulate material immediately below the spreader 22 and the wetted composition .is subsequently removed in whole or part by a rotary distributor 38, preferably an impeller of I bristle type that impels the wetted composition in a stream 50 of particle-form on to the receiving surface 4. The impeller preferably does not rotate in contact with the surface 44. The point of removal of the composition is preferably as close as possible to the receiving surface so that where a bond is desired to a base material; for instance, a thermoplastic substance like bitumen, carried thereby, or of which it may be constituted, such bond will be of a satisfactory nature. The impeller 48 may also be driven through suitable pulleys by a belt 5| from the shaft 30 of the collection roll 20. The diameter of the roll 20 will generally-be selected for the type of material being fed, so that a proper time interval may be provided between the moment of combining the particulate material with the wettingagent and the moment when it is removed for distribution. In the case of a hydraulic cement, the time element may be very short. In the case of certain materials which are combined with solvents, it

may be desirable to permit the solvent to act slightly upon'the particulate substance to make it somewhat adhesive before applying the mixture to the receiving surface 44. The entire mechanism may be driven by suitable .means through the shaft 3' of the roll 2.. Where a dust condition occurs becauseof feeding a finely divided dry solidsubstance, the entire mechanism or dry particle feeding elements may be fully enclosed. a

In certain instances where hot or congealable wetting agents, for instance hot asphalt, are to be fed to the roll 20, suitable heating means, such as steam pipes 52 (Figs. 3 and 4), may be provided to' heat the roll 20 and impeller 48 and thereby keep the wetting agent hot or prevent its congealing. The roll 20 and impeller l! are then preferably made of metal .so as tolreadily conduct heat received from the steam pipes 53. The layer of heated wetting agent may be spread by the member 46 (Fig. l) to a smooth coating of predetermined thickness. If desired, a hood, not shown, may be provided over the roll 20 and impeller 48 or any portion thereof to conserve the heat. Moreover, additional heating'means, such as a blower or a heating element and reflector may be provided to direct heat to the area of contact of the roll and impeller.

As an example of one method of utilizing the described embodiment of the invention, the hopper l2 may be provided with a dry hydraulic cement composition comprising finely divided particles. A measured layer of the cement will be fed by the roll I, preferably moving in a counter-clockwise direction, and the particles thereof will drop or be caused to fall upon the spreader 22, which in turn will spread and sift the particles in a thin layer over the surface of the roll 20 which carries a measured film or layer of water, the water having previously been deposited by means of the liquid distributor 32. The cement composition is hydrated. and becomes plastic upon contact with the wet surface of the roofing ranules or the like. The granules to be coated; for instance, of a size between 8-11 mesh may be supplied from the hopper 22 and the coating material may be applied to the surface of the roll 20 through the liquid dispensing device 32, or any other suitable feed means. The granules will become coated with the coating subjust'ed to create a suitable spinning action of the particles toobtain the desired extent of coating. The coated particles upon collecting upon the surface 44, which may be moving, may be kept in vibration by suitable mechanism until they have substantially dried and are in a condition for removal by other desired means.

From the above description, it will be apparent that I have provided novel methods for feeding ,mixtures of particulate-material and wetting 'or coating agents, and also for coating particulate material with a continuous film of such agent The disclosed embodiment has been set forth for the purpose of illustration only. It will be understood that many changes may be made and will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of.

my invention, which is only to be limited in accordance with the following claims when taken in conjunction with the-prior art.

1. In the method of treating particulate material with a wetting agent, the improvement comprising feeding a wetting agentand a particulate material from separate sources of supply, forming a layer having said wetting agent roll 20 and is adapted to set when impelled upon the receiving surface ,which may be, as previously stated, a web of mineral surfaced roofing material. While on the roll 20, continuous increments of the composite layer are beaten by impeller l8 to facilitate comingling of the particulate material and the wetting agent.

The described invention is particularly useful with quick setting or flash setting cements, as

the water may be applied or fed to the cement at the time of use or within a safe time interval prior thereto. The described invention also permits the quantity of wetting agent and consistency of the wetted mass'to be maintained substantially constant for extended periods. It will also be readily understood that it is particularly useful where the wetting agent is 'asolvent, as it prevents loss through evaporation and provides a means of controlling the amount that is supplied. It will be understood that various wetting agents may be used with the described invention;

. for example, water, solvents, such as mineral spirits, alcohol or toluol, coating materials, such as varnishes; for instance, natural or phenolic resins in a solvent, water emulsions of bitumen or resins, hot asphalt, silicate of soda. Also, that various particulate materials may be fed; for example, hydraulic cement, gypsum, casein, ground resin moulding powders, mica, metal particles; for instance, aluminum flakes.

The disclosed method is also useful for applying coatings to granules; for instance, to produce and particulate material combined in superposed relation, and beating continuous increments of said composite layer.

2. In the method of treating particulate material with a substantially liquid wetting agent, the improvement comprising moving a layer of said agent relative to a stream of particulate material, superposing a multiplicity ofpieces of said particulate material upon said layer and beating continuous increments of said composite layer.

3. In the method of treating particulate ma terial to form a plastic composition, the improvement which comprises withdrawing from separate sources of supply measured quantities of wetting agentand substantially dry particulate substance adapted to produce a plastic with said agent and forming a plastic mass of superimposed applications of said agent and particulate substance.

4. The method of treating particulate material with a wetting agent comprising forming a layer of a substantially liquid wetting agent, adding solid particulate material to said layer of wetting agent, beating the composite layer to facilitate commingling of said particulate material and wetting agent, and depositing the coated particulate material upon a receiving surface.

5. The method of treating particulate material with a wetting agent comprising withdrawing 'agent and material, beating continuous increments of said layer and projecting a stream of plastic particles of said beaten portion upon a receiving surface. 2

7. The method of treating particulate material to form a plastic composition and applying the composition to a receiving surface comprising forming a layer of a wetting agent, adding to said layer a particulate material adapted to form a plastic with said wetting agent, beating said composite layer a portion at a time to facilitate commingling of said agent and material and projecting a stream of plastic particles of said beaten portion upon a receiving surface.

, 8. The method of treating particulate material to form a plastic composition and applying the composition to a receiving surface, comprising forming a measured layer of liquid solvent, spreading over said layer of solvent particulate stock substantially soluble in said solvent, beating said layer a portion at a time to facilitate commingling of said solvent and particulate stock and projecting a stream of plastic particles of said beaten portion upon a receiving surface.

9. The method of treatingparticulate material to form a plastic composition and applying the composition to a receiving surface, comprising withdrawing from separate sources of supply measured quantities of wetting agent and a substantially dry particulate resin substantially solule in said wetting agent, forming a layer of superimposed applications of said wetting agent' and particulate resin, beating said layer a portion at a time to facilitate commingling of said agent and resin and projecting a particle stream of saidbeaten portion upon a receiving surface.

10. The method of treating particulate material to form a plastic composition and applying composition to a receiving surface comprising withdrawing from separate sources of supply measured quantities of water and substantially dry pulverulent argillaceous-cement adapted to be hydrated by said water and form a settable plastic mass, forming a layer of superimposed applications of said water and pulverulent cement, beating said composite layer a portion at a time to facilitate commingling of said water and cementitious particles and projecting a stream of plastic particles of said beaten portion upon a receiving surface. I

11. The method of treating particulate material to form a plastic composition and applying the composition to a receiving surface comprising withdrawing from separate sources of supply measured quantities of wetting agent and substantially dry particulate stock adapted to produce a plastic with said agent, forming a layer of superimposed applications of said agent and stock, beating said layer a portion at a time after said stock has been rendered at least partially plastic by said agent and impelling a particle stream of said beaten portion upon a receiving surface.

12. The method of treating particulate material to form a plastic composition and applying the composition to .a receiving surface comprising continuously withdrawing from separate sources of supply measured quantities of a wetting agent and substantially dry particulate stock, continuously forming a thin layer of said wetting agent, substantially continuously adding particulate stock to said layer of wetting agent, substantially continuously moving said composite layer to a distributing position, substantially continuously beating said layer a portion at a time to facilitate commingling of said agent and said particulate stock and substantially continuously impelling the commingled material upon a receiving surface.

13. The method of treating particulate ma-v terial and coating base material therewith, comprising feeding a layer of wetting agent to a distributing position, feeding substantially dry particulate material and sifting said particulate material upon said layer of wetting agent in advance of said distributing position, coating the pieces of particulate material with the wetting agent of said layer and impelling the coated pieces upon a base material moving with respect thereto to form a surfacing thereon.

14. The method of treating particulate material to form a plastic composition and applying the composition to a receiving surface comprising withdrawing from separate sources of supply measured quantities of wetting agent and substantially dry particulate material adapted to produce a plastic with said agent, forming a thin layer of said wetting agent, applying over said thin layer of wetting agent a thin layer of said particulate material, beating continuous increments of said composite layer to facilitate commingling of said agent and stock and projecting a stream of plastic particles of said composite layer upon a receiving surface.

15. The method of treating particulate material comprising withdrawing from separate sources of supply a liquid wetting-agent and a particulate material, forming a, thin layer of said agent, spreading a plurality of pieces of said particulate material over said layer, subjecting the pieces of particulate material of said layer to a spinning action to substantially'coat them with a continuous film of said agent, projecting the coated pieces upon a receiving surface and agitating said pieces until their coatings have substantially dried. i

16. The method of treating particulate material comprising forming a measured layer of a hot congealable substance, superposing upon said layer a multiplicity of pieces of particulatematerial, beating continuous increments of said composite layer to facilitate commingling of said congealable substance and particulate material and impelling a stream of said beaten material upo a receiving surface.

l NORMAN P. HKRSHBERGER. 

